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Kriek
Brouwerij Lindemans
- From:
- Brouwerij Lindemans
- Belgium
- Style:
- Fruit Lambic
Ranked #115 - ABV:
- 3.5%
- Score:
- 87
Ranked #17,996 - Avg:
- 3.86 | pDev: 13.73%
- Reviews:
- 575
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Sep 30, 2023
- Added:
- Jul 28, 2001
- Wants:
- 53
- Gots:
- 216
SCORE
87
Very Good
87
Very Good
Also known as Kriek Foudroyante
We've already told you that our family never does anything the way other people do. Kriek Lindemans is a good example of that. In order to obtain a beer like no other, we have been adding whole sour cherries to our lambic for generations. Our meeting with American importer Charles Finkel in the 1970s revolutionized the fruit beer segment. Charles convinced us to export our old kriek to the United States by boat. What we had not thought of is that the movement of the waves would reactivate the fermentation process and cause the corks to pop during the trip. It was like something out of The Adventures of Tintin. To prevent that from happening, we therefore developed an alternative production method for our kriek. We use fresh, not from concentrate, unsweetened cherry filtrate which we blend with lambic that is at least one year old before fermenting & macerating for up to 3 days and pasteurizing the whole batch. So the corks don't pop. Due to the use of filtrate and pasteurization, this kriek is sweeter and fruitier than Old Kriek Cuvée René, which undergoes a second fermentation process in the bottle. Thanks to its innovative flavour, it was a resounding success both here in Belgium as well as around the world. Nowadays, it is undoubtedly the reference kriek for consumers.
18 IBU
We've already told you that our family never does anything the way other people do. Kriek Lindemans is a good example of that. In order to obtain a beer like no other, we have been adding whole sour cherries to our lambic for generations. Our meeting with American importer Charles Finkel in the 1970s revolutionized the fruit beer segment. Charles convinced us to export our old kriek to the United States by boat. What we had not thought of is that the movement of the waves would reactivate the fermentation process and cause the corks to pop during the trip. It was like something out of The Adventures of Tintin. To prevent that from happening, we therefore developed an alternative production method for our kriek. We use fresh, not from concentrate, unsweetened cherry filtrate which we blend with lambic that is at least one year old before fermenting & macerating for up to 3 days and pasteurizing the whole batch. So the corks don't pop. Due to the use of filtrate and pasteurization, this kriek is sweeter and fruitier than Old Kriek Cuvée René, which undergoes a second fermentation process in the bottle. Thanks to its innovative flavour, it was a resounding success both here in Belgium as well as around the world. Nowadays, it is undoubtedly the reference kriek for consumers.
18 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by nasal from Illinois
3.75/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Rich deep red color. Round, full maraschino cherry flavor. Sour in all the right ways, but a bit too sweet for me. Mouthfeel leans syrupy (also maybe the cough syrup mental association.) Cherry isn't my preferred flavor - it's among my least-favorite flavors - but this is by far my favorite cherry beer. (That's not saying much, though.) This isn't my favorite Lindemans, and not even my favorite deep red Lindemans.
Sep 02, 2023
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio
3.2/5 rDev -17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.2/5 rDev -17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Mostly clear but a bit chill hazed, this otherwise appears light ruby red with a fairly tall pink foam head that clings in tall ridges.
This is such a sweet punch to the face while having been working on a Beersel oude geuze that the cherry is as if straight out of the maraschino jar. This also pairs with an unpleasant note of baby powder (?)...or maybe that's a little bit of the cinnamon character you sometimes find in krieks.
Frothy at first, but powder dry in the swallow, the finish amplifies my fears about the confusing flavor profile. Either way, it's clear to see why Cuvée René is so much more well-regarded than this cherry juice.
Jul 05, 2023This is such a sweet punch to the face while having been working on a Beersel oude geuze that the cherry is as if straight out of the maraschino jar. This also pairs with an unpleasant note of baby powder (?)...or maybe that's a little bit of the cinnamon character you sometimes find in krieks.
Frothy at first, but powder dry in the swallow, the finish amplifies my fears about the confusing flavor profile. Either way, it's clear to see why Cuvée René is so much more well-regarded than this cherry juice.
Reviewed by Bitburger from Vermont
4.59/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.59/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Kriek is the best fruit lambic for sure. Low ABV; great tardiness and crisp and dry. Perfect cherry flavor and very pleasant aftertaste. Would be the perfect summer "beer" at a lower price.
May 06, 2023
Reviewed by c1377 from Illinois
4.84/5 rDev +25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
4.84/5 rDev +25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
This is what a sour wine should taste like.
Lindeman's Lambic yeast is the best yeast bar none.
The only reason I can't rate it higher is that it is too expensive :-(, and it doesn't really taste like an ale.
It is one of a kind.
Apr 29, 2023Lindeman's Lambic yeast is the best yeast bar none.
The only reason I can't rate it higher is that it is too expensive :-(, and it doesn't really taste like an ale.
It is one of a kind.
Reviewed by Foyle from North Carolina
4.5/5 rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from 8.45 oz bottle into tulip glass. Thin white head, mild lacing, cherry red color. Aroma of tart cherries, yeast. Mouthfeel is fizzy and crisp. Flavor very tart and sweet cherry dominate with bready malt in the background, mild hop presence. Overall: very good, probably the best of the 4 Lindeman's I have tried.
Mar 02, 2023
Reviewed by LampertLand from Canada (BC)
3.91/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.91/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Lindemans 'Kriek' @ 3.5% , served from a red foil bottle cap corked 355 ml bottle
A-pour is red from the bottle to a dark red in the glass with a small size pink head , leaving a fine spotty lace ring along the tulip
S-cherries , bit of funk
T-sweet start leads to a acidic & tart sour finish
MF-mild carbonation , light body
Ov-interesting sweet & sour , fruit Lambic
prost LampertLand
Sep 03, 2022A-pour is red from the bottle to a dark red in the glass with a small size pink head , leaving a fine spotty lace ring along the tulip
S-cherries , bit of funk
T-sweet start leads to a acidic & tart sour finish
MF-mild carbonation , light body
Ov-interesting sweet & sour , fruit Lambic
prost LampertLand
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania
3.78/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.78/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
250ml bottle into a flute. Dating hard to figure out.
Looks very good, reddish amber body with a pink tinged head which leaves gobs of lacing.
Musty cherry aroma.
On tasting, cherries forward, tart and sweet.
Mouth medium, finish cherry.
Not bad, though the cherry comes of a little artificial, which I know it isn't. Not as good as framboise, but better than peche and pomme.
Aug 24, 2022Looks very good, reddish amber body with a pink tinged head which leaves gobs of lacing.
Musty cherry aroma.
On tasting, cherries forward, tart and sweet.
Mouth medium, finish cherry.
Not bad, though the cherry comes of a little artificial, which I know it isn't. Not as good as framboise, but better than peche and pomme.
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey
3.99/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
(250 ml bottle, 02 JUL 2023; purchased as part of a variety 4-pack... poured into a teku)
L: clear, ruby-colored liquid with a vibrant glow; pink swath of messy foam which settles into a gloriously craggy collar
S: not like cherry pie, more like cherry cough drop, with a vaguely medicinal lozenge overtone... like their other fruit-flavored brands, excellent intensity if a touch blaringly muddy in expression... little sense of funk, even less if any malt/wheat character
T: cherry pie filling up front with a blast of tart, tangy acidity in the finish, which continues to tingle in the aftertaste while a subtly sweetish cherry cordial smatters the palate floor... moreish, but nearly too candy-like
F: silky; punchy with its funky tartness... every nook of the palate feels coated with a thin, gummy film... the carbonation seems a bit weak, and over its course, the body gradually becomes more viscous, rounded, and syrupy, but short of laborious
O: despite its childish presentation of cherry flavor, this marriage of kriek and lambic is undeniably a match made in heaven... this may be my favorite of their fruited line (1960)
Jul 28, 2022L: clear, ruby-colored liquid with a vibrant glow; pink swath of messy foam which settles into a gloriously craggy collar
S: not like cherry pie, more like cherry cough drop, with a vaguely medicinal lozenge overtone... like their other fruit-flavored brands, excellent intensity if a touch blaringly muddy in expression... little sense of funk, even less if any malt/wheat character
T: cherry pie filling up front with a blast of tart, tangy acidity in the finish, which continues to tingle in the aftertaste while a subtly sweetish cherry cordial smatters the palate floor... moreish, but nearly too candy-like
F: silky; punchy with its funky tartness... every nook of the palate feels coated with a thin, gummy film... the carbonation seems a bit weak, and over its course, the body gradually becomes more viscous, rounded, and syrupy, but short of laborious
O: despite its childish presentation of cherry flavor, this marriage of kriek and lambic is undeniably a match made in heaven... this may be my favorite of their fruited line (1960)
Kriek from Brouwerij Lindemans
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
1384 ratings
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